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Wake up and smell the failure

Oh, shut up. India also has several such scathing criticisms and no one goes and protests. Don't even start the comparison between India and Pakistan in that regard. And shut up about that attention-monger A.Roy too, you really don't want me to start talking about Asma Jehangir here.

You really are an ignorant fool aren't you, people are not as anonymous as they believe on the net. LoL - Talk about Ms Jehangir as much as you want, I may disagree with her opinion, but I would defend her right to that speech.

Why do indians get excited, it does show a definite inferiority complex in parts of your polity, you need congratulation like a drug, your self worth is determined by the approval of others.

In my line of work, understanding the indian state-of-mind has been very advantageous.

A word of advice, india has so many problems, it would be advisable for you to sort them out, before you get anal about other countries you know nothing about, now run along son.;)
 
You really are an ignorant fool aren't you, people are not as anonymous as they believe on the net. LoL - Talk about Ms Jehangir as much as you want, I may be disagree with her opinion, but I would defend her right to that speech.

Why do indians get excited, it does show a definite inferiority complex in parts of your polity, you need congratulation like a drug, your self worth is determined by the approval of others.

In my line of work, understanding the indian state-of-mind has been very advantageous.

A word of advice, india has so many problems, it would be advisable for you to sort them out, before you get anal about other countries you know nothing about, now run along son.;)

Pick up 20 random posts from a Kashmir or JF 17 thread as a sample to see who gets how much excited and who has how much inferiority complex.

btw, while approval from others may not mean you are worthy, every disapproval is surely not a certificate of worth.. If you know what I mean...:azn:
 
Who's talking to you anyway, but you got your ugly mug here pretty fast, poor little indian, does my response define you as a person, you have the temerity to say we get excited, when you indian pretty much live on this site 24/7 365 days a year, what haven't you got a girl friend.

Some indians have a definite inferiority complex, you trawl the internet for things on Pakistan and run here like little automatons. Listen get out in the sun, develop other interests.

This obsession with us, is getting a bit creepy, you are like totally stalking our country dude!!!!

hahahahahaha LoL
 
Who's talking to you anyway, but you got your ugly mug here pretty fast, poor little indian, does my response define you as a person, you have the temerity to say we get excited, when you indian pretty much live on this site 24/7 365 days a year, what haven't you got a girl friend.

Some indians have a definite inferiority complex, you trawl the internet for things on Pakistan and run here like little automatons. Listen get out in the sun, develop other interests.

This obsession with us, is getting a bit creepy, you are like totally stalking our country dude!!!!

hahahahahaha LoL

pagal hai :cheesy:
 
हिन्दूस्तानी;1270372 said:
pagal hai :cheesy:

might I suggest psychiatric help, you are clearly making a self diagnosis :azn:
 
@rafi..
Many indians are here because india comes in many discussions here.And about we feeling inferiority complex to pakistan,pray tell me on what matter should we feel inferior?On economy?military?stability?(Just watching news about a blast there,third one this week)On toping failed state rankings?On your patriotic zardari compared to idiotic manmohan singh?On industrial growth?on global influence?Your fake superiority complex over 'little' indians is laughable at best.
 
Oh, shut up. India also has several such scathing criticisms and no one goes and protests. Don't even start the comparison between India and Pakistan in that regard. And shut up about that attention-monger A.Roy too, you really don't want me to start talking about Asma Jehangir here.

:cheesy: bwahahahahahahahahha yes please do talk about her we have just elected her to slot of SCBA president despite her liking for Bal thackray :sick:
 
Where we are - by Yasser Latif Hamdani

Obama’s warming up to India has not gone down well with our super patriots, and rightly so. Despite 40 odd years of service to the US and now a decade-long alliance that has cost Pakistan many a life and limb, the US has now established a long-term strategic paradigm in South Asia, which sees India as a close ally and Pakistan as a nuisance at best.

Instead of going back to the drawing board and trying to understand why it is that we are increasingly unable to compete with our eastern neighbour, our super patriots have invented another self-defeating narrative. They want us to engage another 50 years in another mini-cold war around an imagined zero-sum game that pits Pakistan and China against the US and India. Even if the Americans were naïve enough to hold such ‘strategic’ hogwash as a legitimate view, neither the Indians nor the Chinese are going to buy into it. Contrary to what a naïve New York Times columnist recently wrote, the Indians know that the big truck their friend in Washington owns has a flat tyre and no spare.

This is the Asian century and enough people in India realise it, which is why there will be no confrontation between China and India — at least any confrontation that mirrors the Soviet-US clash. China is rising and the US is, at best, a fading power, in a position very similar to the British Empire after the Second World War. It will continue to be an important power like Britain but its sole superpower status has irrevocably been shaken. As it grows more multicultural, the melting pot will become less effective and consequently a more fractured polity is likely to hold the US back in the future. India therefore is more likely to play both sides instead of blindly jumping into bed with the Americans. Our response therefore should be similarly cautious.

That we have not thought things through is apparent even from our approach to China. There is little or no recognition in Pakistan that China’s might is derived not from its military but its economic might. Yet how many of our institutions of higher learning have programmes in Chinese language, culture and law? None. It is not enough that Pakistan will become a conduit of energy for western China and, subsequently, an international trade route. Pakistan must realise that it will be important to China only if it remains internally stable, united and moderate. For this to happen, Pakistan must choose a pragmatic path to international geo-politics. It can no longer fool itself with some Pan-Islamic ambition and pursue a policy of Muslim interests. Our military establishment’s cynical flirtation with Islamist groups is dangerous given the Islamist rebellion in some parts of China.

Pakistan faced the full force of Chinese pressure on the Lal Masjid issue where Chinese citizens were attacked by a band of brigands who were, for the most part, seen as a ‘strategic asset’ by our establishment.

Pakistan must realign itself internally to face external challenges and seize opportunities. The reason Pakistan was respected and sought after by the Americans in the 1950s, 1960s and some part of the 1970s was because we were ideologically soft but economically and socially a strong state. By the 1980s onwards, Pakistan has been ideologically hard but economically and socially a very weak state. In doing so we have not only alienated the Americans but our trusted friends such as the Chinese and the Turks. If things continue as they are, even the Saudis will leave us in the lurch.

If — and this is an almost impossible task — Pakistan can roll back project Islam of the Ziaist variety, which requires a major overhaul of our laws, education and media, and can present itself as a moderate, democratic and internally stable state, Pakistan is ideally placed to profit from the changing global economic and political scenario. As a long-term ally of both the US and China and having a shared past with India, Pakistan can either be doomed by history or use it wisely to create a state that exists for the benefit of its people. The latter course will not only keep Pakistan united but will allow it to become one of the most prosperous nations of this century.

However, none of this can be done if ‘independent’ courts in Pakistan sentence to death a mother of five for alleged blasphemy. In the coming days, brace yourself as the entire world condemns us for our barbaric treatment of women, and rightly so. We must make up our minds. Are we going to be a medieval dystopia that is a pariah country like the Islamic Republic of Iran — which is absolutely the worst place to live in, I can assure you — or are we going to be a normal state that the world can do business with? Those of you who question the abolition of the Blasphemy Law on religious grounds must be reminded of what a wise man once said, “Is this the first time in the history of legislation in this country that this council has been called upon to override Musalman Law or modify it to suit the time? The council has overridden and modified the Musalman Law in many respects.” The wise man in question was our founding father, Mr Mohammed Ali Jinnah. He had also cautioned against the misuse of the original Blasphemy Law — Section 295 of the Penal Code — by saying, “We must also secure this very important and fundamental principle that those who are engaged in historical works, those who are engaged in the ascertainment of truth and those who are engaged in bona fide and honest criticisms of a religion shall be protected.”

The critical factor missing in Pakistan right now is a leader — democratically elected and popular — who can play the role of a Mao or an Ataturk or a Lee Kuan Yew today. Orphaned soon after birth with Jinnah’s early demise, Pakistan has missed a legitimate strongman that India found in Nehru. I say a legitimate strongman because attempts by illegitimate tin-pots, such as Ayub, Zia and Musharraf, have only worsened our situation. That it has to be a strongman willing to put his foot down is also clear because nothing else will compose the differences of our fractured national identity or have the courage to take on the naysayers, the Islamists and the ethno-fascists who today pose a clear and present danger to this state and its writ. Abraham Lincoln played that role in the US. He was ready to go the extra mile to preserve the union because his integrity was unquestionable and that allowed him to take decisions that were necessary but unpopular such as the emancipation of slaves. Do we have such a leader in our midst, someone who is ready to take on the forces that seek to tear us asunder and then make us relevant in the new era of prosperity that is about to dawn?

Unfortunately, instead of seizing the moment, all our leaders are more concerned with the dictates of petty politics, which is neither democratic nor people-oriented. One had imagined that Zardari would — much like Heracles of Byzantium — make a surprising turnaround and show concern for the country, if for nothing else then his own legacy. Instead, sadly, he has failed to rein in opportunist elements within his own party and has persecuted instead those genuine people within the party like Sherry Rehman and Aitzaz Ahsan who could help him rewrite history. May he still find it in him to finally lead like a leader. May he roll back General Zia and his criminal assault on Pakistan decisively and not just by paying lip service to that very important goal. What is at stake is not just the future of Pakistani non-Muslims; it is the prosperity and progress of this nation.

http://pakteahouse.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/view-where-we-are-%e2%80%94yasser-latif-hamdani/
 
Where we are

Obama’s warming up to India has not gone down well with our super patriots, and rightly so. Despite 40 odd years of service to the US and now a decade-long alliance that has cost Pakistan many a life and limb, the US has now established a long-term strategic paradigm in South Asia, which sees India as a close ally and Pakistan as a nuisance at best.

Instead of going back to the drawing board and trying to understand why it is that we are increasingly unable to compete with our eastern neighbour, our super patriots have invented another self-defeating narrative. They want us to engage another 50 years in another mini-cold war around an imagined zero-sum game that pits Pakistan and China against the US and India. Even if the Americans were naïve enough to hold such ‘strategic’ hogwash as a legitimate view, neither the Indians nor the Chinese are going to buy into it. Contrary to what a naïve New York Times columnist recently wrote, the Indians know that the big truck their friend in Washington owns has a flat tyre and no spare.

This is the Asian century and enough people in India realise it, which is why there will be no confrontation between China and India — at least any confrontation that mirrors the Soviet-US clash. China is rising and the US is, at best, a fading power, in a position very similar to the British Empire after the Second World War. It will continue to be an important power like Britain but its sole superpower status has irrevocably been shaken. As it grows more multicultural, the melting pot will become less effective and consequently a more fractured polity is likely to hold the US back in the future. India therefore is more likely to play both sides instead of blindly jumping into bed with the Americans. Our response therefore should be similarly cautious.

That we have not thought things through is apparent even from our approach to China. There is little or no recognition in Pakistan that China’s might is derived not from its military but its economic might. Yet how many of our institutions of higher learning have programmes in Chinese language, culture and law? None. It is not enough that Pakistan will become a conduit of energy for western China and, subsequently, an international trade route. Pakistan must realise that it will be important to China only if it remains internally stable, united and moderate. For this to happen, Pakistan must choose a pragmatic path to international geo-politics. It can no longer fool itself with some Pan-Islamic ambition and pursue a policy of Muslim interests. Our military establishment’s cynical flirtation with Islamist groups is dangerous given the Islamist rebellion in some parts of China.

Pakistan faced the full force of Chinese pressure on the Lal Masjid issue where Chinese citizens were attacked by a band of brigands who were, for the most part, seen as a ‘strategic asset’ by our establishment.

Pakistan must realign itself internally to face external challenges and seize opportunities. The reason Pakistan was respected and sought after by the Americans in the 1950s, 1960s and some part of the 1970s was because we were ideologically soft but economically and socially a strong state. By the 1980s onwards, Pakistan has been ideologically hard but economically and socially a very weak state. In doing so we have not only alienated the Americans but our trusted friends such as the Chinese and the Turks. If things continue as they are, even the Saudis will leave us in the lurch.

If — and this is an almost impossible task — Pakistan can roll back project Islam of the Ziaist variety, which requires a major overhaul of our laws, education and media, and can present itself as a moderate, democratic and internally stable state, Pakistan is ideally placed to profit from the changing global economic and political scenario. As a long-term ally of both the US and China and having a shared past with India, Pakistan can either be doomed by history or use it wisely to create a state that exists for the benefit of its people. The latter course will not only keep Pakistan united but will allow it to become one of the most prosperous nations of this century.

However, none of this can be done if ‘independent’ courts in Pakistan sentence to death a mother of five for alleged blasphemy. In the coming days, brace yourself as the entire world condemns us for our barbaric treatment of women, and rightly so. We must make up our minds. Are we going to be a medieval dystopia that is a pariah country like the Islamic Republic of Iran — which is absolutely the worst place to live in, I can assure you — or are we going to be a normal state that the world can do business with? Those of you who question the abolition of the Blasphemy Law on religious grounds must be reminded of what a wise man once said, “Is this the first time in the history of legislation in this country that this council has been called upon to override Musalman Law or modify it to suit the time? The council has overridden and modified the Musalman Law in many respects.” The wise man in question was our founding father, Mr Mohammed Ali Jinnah. He had also cautioned against the misuse of the original Blasphemy Law — Section 295 of the Penal Code — by saying, “We must also secure this very important and fundamental principle that those who are engaged in historical works, those who are engaged in the ascertainment of truth and those who are engaged in bona fide and honest criticisms of a religion shall be protected.”

The critical factor missing in Pakistan right now is a leader — democratically elected and popular — who can play the role of a Mao or an Ataturk or a Lee Kuan Yew today. Orphaned soon after birth with Jinnah’s early demise, Pakistan has missed a legitimate strongman that India found in Nehru. I say a legitimate strongman because attempts by illegitimate tin-pots, such as Ayub, Zia and Musharraf, have only worsened our situation. That it has to be a strongman willing to put his foot down is also clear because nothing else will compose the differences of our fractured national identity or have the courage to take on the naysayers, the Islamists and the ethno-fascists who today pose a clear and present danger to this state and its writ. Abraham Lincoln played that role in the US. He was ready to go the extra mile to preserve the union because his integrity was unquestionable and that allowed him to take decisions that were necessary but unpopular such as the emancipation of slaves. Do we have such a leader in our midst, someone who is ready to take on the forces that seek to tear us asunder and then make us relevant in the new era of prosperity that is about to dawn?

Unfortunately, instead of seizing the moment, all our leaders are more concerned with the dictates of petty politics, which is neither democratic nor people-oriented. One had imagined that Zardari would — much like Heracles of Byzantium — make a surprising turnaround and show concern for the country, if for nothing else then his own legacy. Instead, sadly, he has failed to rein in opportunist elements within his own party and has persecuted instead those genuine people within the party like Sherry Rehman and Aitzaz Ahsan who could help him rewrite history. May he still find it in him to finally lead like a leader. May he roll back General Zia and his criminal assault on Pakistan decisively and not just by paying lip service to that very important goal. What is at stake is not just the future of Pakistani non-Muslims; it is the prosperity and progress of this nation.


That is so good, thank you for the article.
 
Islamabad: Pakistan's "sole export seems to have become terror", an article in a Pakistan daily said and added that the country's "very existence has become India-centric".

The article in the Express Tribune titled "Wake up and smell the failure" said the symbolism of US President Barack Obama's visit to India is "bigger than the expansive trade deals and kind words".

Obama declared India a world power, and the India-US alliance "one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century".

"On the other hand, Pakistan was snubbed when we were told to do more in the war against militancy during his visit....Obama went further than any US president before by backing India's pursuit for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. So much for the Kashmir dispute."

Commenting on Obama's itinerary during his four-nation Asia trip during which he skipped Pakistan, the article by Hassan Khan said: "It begs the question why Obama didn't stop by for a day, or even a few hours, to say hello to his allies in Islamabad who have been fighting their war, suffering the casualties..."


"The answer is simple. Money is time and time is money, and Pakistan and Pakistanis haven't understood the value of either yet.”

"Our very existence has become India-centric; to be more precise we have spent more than half of a century in a military race against India."

The article went on to say that "our sole export seems to have become terror and while we beg for aid to cope with globalisation, the world recession, and not to mention the floods, India unveils deals worth USD 10 billion designed to create 50,000 American jobs in an ailing economy. That's right; India is creating jobs in the US".

"They (India) sought to be the largest democracy in the world and they achieved it, and we sought to be the most dangerous country of the world and we certainly achieved it."

IANS

Pakistan`s sole export is terror
 
"They (India) sought to be the largest democracy in the world and they achieved it, and we sought to be the most dangerous country of the world and we certainly achieved it."

nailed it !! :tup:

P.S : now in moments, you'll find some over smart posters asking for a neutral or international source.
 
first over smart poster.. wants that daily article.
Ah.. zeenews..the Kargil propaganda machine.
I wonder the day they report Pakistan is considering acceding to India..RSS blocking move..
Or that the Chinese race was actually Indian.. and the Chinese should now return to India..
Apart from distasteful drama's almost always involving a Muslim girl with a Hindu guy.. gives a bad image of India..
In other words.. the source isnt something I respect.
So I believe the article exists.. just find the Pakistani daily version of it..
Not the zee news report on it.

And here..
i found it

"Be it Barack Obama’s recognition of India being a world power or his graceful better half dancing her way into Indian hearts, it has been a tough week in newsrooms, at least for Pakistan.

The message was clear and it will resonate with Pakistanis for years to come as the US and India draw out plans for an ‘Amer-asian hegemony’.

Talk about a wake-up call for politicians, bureaucrats and all alike. After our own strategic talks with the US, a few weeks ago, ended in the usual pat and push for fighting the war on terror, the symbolism of the visit to India is bigger than the expansive trade deals and kind words of Barack Obama. The US president declared India a world power, and the India-US alliance “one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century”.

On the other hand, Pakistan was snubbed when we were told to do more in the war against militancy during his visit. To make it all the worse, as if Pakistanis weren’t already neglected enough, Obama went further than any US president before by backing India’s pursuit for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. So much for the Kashmir dispute.

It begs the question why Obama didn’t stop by for a day, or even a few hours, to say hello to his allies in Islamabad who have been fighting their war, suffering the casualties, and not to mention recovering from the worst flood the country has ever seen.

The answer is simple. Money is time and time is money, and Pakistan and Pakistanis haven’t understood the value of either yet.

Our very existence has become India-centric; to be more precise we have spent more than half of a century in a military race against India. We discarded the precious gift every newly independent state is given of starting from scratch.

While we have officially become ‘a client state with the Taliban and al Qaeda presence plotting to kill US soldiers and fanning the war in Afghanistan’, India found a much more sustainable form of development and growth by India and for India. They have always been in the race for the long haul and instead of giving power to the military industrial complex or the landowning minority; they borrowed from western thought and civilisations and gave power to the people.

My father’s favourite mantra is that “there are no shortcuts in life”. I can’t help but think how true those words lie in respect to Pakistan. Our sole export seems to have become terror and while we beg for aid to cope with globalisation, the world recession, and not to mention the floods, India unveils deals worth $10 billion designed to create 50,000 American jobs in an ailing economy. That’s right; India is creating jobs in the US.

They sought to be the largest democracy in the world and they achieved it, and we sought to be the most dangerous country of the world and we certainly achieved it.

And Pakistanis ask where do we go from here?

For many in our ruling class, the answer is simple even if they don’t voice their thoughts — take shortcuts and survive another day till we reach a dead end.
"

The author makes some valid points.. a little too harsh..but his direction is correct.
Pakistan has been India centric where its military designs have been concerned..but after all.. there really wasn't anybody else to fight with.. till the Reds invaded Afghanistan.
Our rulers have taken shortcuts..for their own survival..and the middle class is as gullible as anything..
Our greatest loss..is the feudal system..
The poor arent fit to vote when they are pressured by their feudal lords..and since they form a majority.. they sway the electorate..
India's poor back then were no longer bound..they could vote for their betterment..
it took a while to shed the congress dynasty..but now..at least from what I gather.. India has an aware electorate..which does not vote out of fear or burden.. emotions may be swayed by rhetoric and oratory miracles.. but they(India's classes).. vote for themselves when going to vote...they vote for their prospertiy..
In contrast.. Pakistan's voters.. if anything.. vote either out of fear..or emotion..
the former.. never gets you anything.
India's early leap was the tossing of these feudal lords out...devolution came faster.
They had similar people.. with similar intelligence..similar problems.."ala.. roti,kapra and makaan"..but without a sadistic jagirdaar over their heads..these people could still work for it..
such is the turn of fate..
by 58.. India was a florishing democracy..
by 58.. we had a racist general who was actually earmarked for being kicked out by MA jinnah out of the army.. yet used cunning to get to the top..
start a war with India and almost committed suicide for this nation..then had himself penned in the history books as a hero.. ..if not for the brave souls who fought till the end..believing that it was India that had committed aggression..forever sowing hatred into the hearts of both neighbors...soo deep.. it can no longer be removed..
for one its a mental disorder..to the order its a cancer eating it away.
Still.. I am just repeating known knowns....
Feed a nation distorted history for years..and they will fall into a comatose state..
as we are now..disillusioned with all those truths unraveled..all those "pious" leaders machinations destroying us..waiting for a lamp to show them the light..
and never looking inside themselves for it...
But then.. I am a Pakistani..and like all.. dont like sudden dismissals of my country's future as grim..
yet I cant deny it.. we need drastic changes..
not at the top...but at the very bottom...
We do export terror....but that is not all we export....but then again.. Saudi Arabia exports dates as well.. but Oil is what it has become famous for..
At least Oil is useful..
Not people with a distorted view of a religion literally called peace.

This is one factory that is a hazardous place to work in....
Only time will tell..whether this ship will sick as all forecast..or finally..somebody will get the bilge pumps in the lower decks working??
 
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Where we are - by Yasser Latif Hamdani

Obama’s warming up to India has not gone down well with our super patriots, and rightly so. Despite 40 odd years of service to the US and now a decade-long alliance that has cost Pakistan many a life and limb, the US has now established a long-term strategic paradigm in South Asia, which sees India as a close ally and Pakistan as a nuisance at best.

Instead of going back to the drawing board and trying to understand why it is that we are increasingly unable to compete with our eastern neighbour, our super patriots have invented another self-defeating narrative. They want us to engage another 50 years in another mini-cold war around an imagined zero-sum game that pits Pakistan and China against the US and India. Even if the Americans were naïve enough to hold such ‘strategic’ hogwash as a legitimate view, neither the Indians nor the Chinese are going to buy into it. Contrary to what a naïve New York Times columnist recently wrote, the Indians know that the big truck their friend in Washington owns has a flat tyre and no spare.

This is the Asian century and enough people in India realise it, which is why there will be no confrontation between China and India — at least any confrontation that mirrors the Soviet-US clash. China is rising and the US is, at best, a fading power, in a position very similar to the British Empire after the Second World War. It will continue to be an important power like Britain but its sole superpower status has irrevocably been shaken. As it grows more multicultural, the melting pot will become less effective and consequently a more fractured polity is likely to hold the US back in the future. India therefore is more likely to play both sides instead of blindly jumping into bed with the Americans. Our response therefore should be similarly cautious.

That we have not thought things through is apparent even from our approach to China. There is little or no recognition in Pakistan that China’s might is derived not from its military but its economic might. Yet how many of our institutions of higher learning have programmes in Chinese language, culture and law? None. It is not enough that Pakistan will become a conduit of energy for western China and, subsequently, an international trade route. Pakistan must realise that it will be important to China only if it remains internally stable, united and moderate. For this to happen, Pakistan must choose a pragmatic path to international geo-politics. It can no longer fool itself with some Pan-Islamic ambition and pursue a policy of Muslim interests. Our military establishment’s cynical flirtation with Islamist groups is dangerous given the Islamist rebellion in some parts of China.

Pakistan faced the full force of Chinese pressure on the Lal Masjid issue where Chinese citizens were attacked by a band of brigands who were, for the most part, seen as a ‘strategic asset’ by our establishment.

Pakistan must realign itself internally to face external challenges and seize opportunities. The reason Pakistan was respected and sought after by the Americans in the 1950s, 1960s and some part of the 1970s was because we were ideologically soft but economically and socially a strong state. By the 1980s onwards, Pakistan has been ideologically hard but economically and socially a very weak state. In doing so we have not only alienated the Americans but our trusted friends such as the Chinese and the Turks. If things continue as they are, even the Saudis will leave us in the lurch.

If — and this is an almost impossible task — Pakistan can roll back project Islam of the Ziaist variety, which requires a major overhaul of our laws, education and media, and can present itself as a moderate, democratic and internally stable state, Pakistan is ideally placed to profit from the changing global economic and political scenario. As a long-term ally of both the US and China and having a shared past with India, Pakistan can either be doomed by history or use it wisely to create a state that exists for the benefit of its people. The latter course will not only keep Pakistan united but will allow it to become one of the most prosperous nations of this century.

However, none of this can be done if ‘independent’ courts in Pakistan sentence to death a mother of five for alleged blasphemy. In the coming days, brace yourself as the entire world condemns us for our barbaric treatment of women, and rightly so. We must make up our minds. Are we going to be a medieval dystopia that is a pariah country like the Islamic Republic of Iran — which is absolutely the worst place to live in, I can assure you — or are we going to be a normal state that the world can do business with? Those of you who question the abolition of the Blasphemy Law on religious grounds must be reminded of what a wise man once said, “Is this the first time in the history of legislation in this country that this council has been called upon to override Musalman Law or modify it to suit the time? The council has overridden and modified the Musalman Law in many respects.” The wise man in question was our founding father, Mr Mohammed Ali Jinnah. He had also cautioned against the misuse of the original Blasphemy Law — Section 295 of the Penal Code — by saying, “We must also secure this very important and fundamental principle that those who are engaged in historical works, those who are engaged in the ascertainment of truth and those who are engaged in bona fide and honest criticisms of a religion shall be protected.”

The critical factor missing in Pakistan right now is a leader — democratically elected and popular — who can play the role of a Mao or an Ataturk or a Lee Kuan Yew today. Orphaned soon after birth with Jinnah’s early demise, Pakistan has missed a legitimate strongman that India found in Nehru. I say a legitimate strongman because attempts by illegitimate tin-pots, such as Ayub, Zia and Musharraf, have only worsened our situation. That it has to be a strongman willing to put his foot down is also clear because nothing else will compose the differences of our fractured national identity or have the courage to take on the naysayers, the Islamists and the ethno-fascists who today pose a clear and present danger to this state and its writ. Abraham Lincoln played that role in the US. He was ready to go the extra mile to preserve the union because his integrity was unquestionable and that allowed him to take decisions that were necessary but unpopular such as the emancipation of slaves. Do we have such a leader in our midst, someone who is ready to take on the forces that seek to tear us asunder and then make us relevant in the new era of prosperity that is about to dawn?

Unfortunately, instead of seizing the moment, all our leaders are more concerned with the dictates of petty politics, which is neither democratic nor people-oriented. One had imagined that Zardari would — much like Heracles of Byzantium — make a surprising turnaround and show concern for the country, if for nothing else then his own legacy. Instead, sadly, he has failed to rein in opportunist elements within his own party and has persecuted instead those genuine people within the party like Sherry Rehman and Aitzaz Ahsan who could help him rewrite history. May he still find it in him to finally lead like a leader. May he roll back General Zia and his criminal assault on Pakistan decisively and not just by paying lip service to that very important goal. What is at stake is not just the future of Pakistani non-Muslims; it is the prosperity and progress of this nation.

VIEW: Where we are ?Yasser Latif Hamdani Pak Tea House

this is by far one of best posts i`ve ever come across..totally unabashed, nuetral and self introspective.
Many members including me would have so much to learn from your line of thought.
 
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